Method of and means for sorting articles



Jan. 26, 1937.

D. E. GRAY 2,068,797

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR SORTING ARTICLES Filed June 24, 1950 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTNEY Jan. 26, 1937. D. E. GRAY METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR SORTING ARTICLES Filed June 24, 1930 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. 26, 1937." D; E, RA 2,068,797

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR SORTING ARTICLES Filed June 24, 1930 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Dav/d5. Grqy. BY

AT RN EY Jan. 26, 1937. GRAY METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR SORTING ARTICLES Filed June 24, 1950 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENIOR Dar/d 5. 69-9 A RNEY Jan. 26, 1937.

D. E. GRAY METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR SORTING ARTICLES Filed June 24, 1950 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATT RNEY Jan. 26, 1937. R 2,068,797

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR SORTING ARTICLES Filed Jun e 24, 1930 7 Sheets-Sheet e Q 3 g2 t$ N (g/ N NLG I.\ m,

INVENTOR Day/d f. @WW, Y I I/ Jan. 26, 1937. D. E. GRAY 2,068,797

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR SORTING ARTICLES Filed June 24, 1930 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented Jan. 26, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE David E. Gray, Corning, N. Y., assignor to Coming Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 24, 1930, Serial No. 463,437

11 Claims.

This invention relates to a method of and means for sorting articles and more particularly to the gaging and sorting of fragile articles such as glass tubes.

In some industries and particularly in the manufacture of incandescent electric lamps where automatic machinery is largely employed, it is essential that the tubes used for exhausting the lamp bulbs be of uniform diameter in order that they may be satisfactorily fitted into the vacuum chucks of the bulb evacuating machines. Hence the tubes must fall within very close limits and the tolerances are very definitely restricted.

Even the latest approved drawing machines for producing glass tubing are incapable of uniformly maintaining the diameter of the tubing produced within the tolerances demanded by the machines employed in the incandescent electric lamp manufacturing industry and hence it is essential that the tubing be accurately sorted and classified before it is delivered to the lamp making machines.

The primary object of the present invention is to rapidly and accurately gage and sort cylindrical glass articles so that the diameters of those in predetermined groups will fall within very close limits.

Another object is to avoid breakage of the articles during the gaging and sorting operation.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing my invention which embodies among its features continuously moving articles past a gage which rejects articles of predetermined size and accepts articles of lesser size and urging the articles to enter the gage by applying yielding pressure upon them at an angle to their direction of movement.

In carrying my invention into practice I realize that different types of apparatus might be employed but I prefer to use the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of the receiving end of a gaging machine employing my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of the opposite end of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view of the loading end of the machine showing portions in section to more clearly illustrate the details of construction;

Fig. 4 is a. fragmentary side view of the machine with portions broken away to more clearly illustrate certain details of construction;

Fig. 5 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary side view of the machine showing two of the gaging units in detail, the guard units having been removed to more clearly illustrate the details of my invention;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6; i

Fig. 8 is a greatly enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing a modified form of gage unit; and

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 6 taken on the line Ill-l0 of Fig. 9.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a longitudinally extending bed plate is secured at opposite ends to end castings 2| and 22 which are supported on pillars 23 and 24 respectively. The pillar 23 is provided at its upper end with a cross member 25 to one end of which the end casting 2| is secured. Supported on the cross member 25 at its opposite end is a casting 26 which conforms in contour with the end casting 2| and cooperates therewith in supporting the feeding mechanism to be more fully hereinafter described. Like the pillar 23, the pillar 24 is provided at its upper end with a cross member 21 which supports at one end the end casting 22 and at its opposite end a corresponding casting 28 whereby the two castings jointly form an element of the supporting structure for the ar- 0 ticle carrier which will be more fully hereinafter described.

Extending transversely between and rotatably mounted in bearings carried by the castings 2| and 26 are drive shafts 29 and 30, carrying sprockets 3| and 32 which are connected by a chain 33. Secured to the end of the shaft 29 opposite that carrying the sprocket 3| is a drive sprocket 34 over which a drive chain 35 is trained. This chain runs over a sprocket which is carried on the end of the drive shaft of a speed reducing gear 36 which is connected to a suitable source of motive power such as an electric motor 31. A bevel pinion 38 is carried by the end of the shaft 30 opposite that to which the sprocket 32 is attached, and meshes with a bevel pinion 39 carried at one end of a stub shaft which is mounted for rotation in a bracket 40. A spur gear 4| is carried on the end of the stub shaft opposite the bevel pinion 39 and meshes with a pinion 42 carried on one end of a stub shaft 43 extending through abutting flanges on the bed plate 20 and casting 2|. The end of the shaft 43 opposite that carrying the pinion 42 carries a pinion 44 which meshes with a gear 45 carried on one end of a longitudinally extending drive shaft 66 which is mounted for rotary motion in brackets 41 secured to the bed plate 28.

Extending transversely between the castings 2| and 26 in spaced relation to the shafts 29 and 36 are shafts 48 and 49 each carrying respectively pairs of idle sprockets 58 and 5|. A pair of idle sprockets 52 is carried by the shaft 29 and keyed to the shaft 30 is a pair of driving sprockets 53. The sprockets 50, 52, and 53 are arranged in longitudinal alignment and trained over them are carrier chains 54 to the links of which are attached pick-up fingers for engaging and picking up the articles as they are fed to the machine. Attached to the shaft 38 between the sprockets 53 are sprockets 55 which align with the idle sprockets 5| and serve as driving means for a pair of conveyor chains 56 which are trained upwardly and over the idle sprockets 5|. These conveyor chains are carried around the full length of the machine and are trained around idle sprockets 51 which are mounted in spaced relation on a shaft 58 extending transversely between the castings 22 and 28. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the shaft 58 is mounted in the castings for adjustment longitudinally of the machine so as to render it possible to take up any slack in the conveyor chains 56. As illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, the conveyor chains 56 are provided with article supporting fingers 59 between which the articles are confined during the delivering and gaging operations.

In order to prevent the articles held between the fingers 59 from falling out as the conveyor chains 56 pass downwardly and around the sprockets 51, I provide arcuate guards 68 which extend from a point above a plane horizontal with the axis of the shaft 58 to a point beyond a plane vertical with said axis. These guides are attached to a table 6| which is supported on a bracket 62 carried by the bed plate 20. This table extends in parallel relation to the lower run of the conveyor chains 56 from the guides 68 to a point near the vertical axis of the first gage as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 4 and the end of the table adjacent the gage is bifurcated as at 63 to avoid interference with the latter. Supported on brackets 64 which are similar in construction to the bracket 62 are tables 65 which lie in horizontal alignment with the table 6| and extend between the gages to form supports for articles during their advance by the carrier chains. As shown in detail in Fig. 2 both ends of the tables 65 are bifurcated as at 66 to accommodate the gages which operate between the bifurcations as will be clearly seen upon reference to Fig. 5. The ends of the tables 65 toward which the articles are advanced by the conveyor chains 56 are upturned as at 61 to provide deflectors for discharging articles which are rejected by the gages and directing the rejected articles downwardly below the tables 65.

Secured to the bed plate 28 below the planes of the tables 6| and 65 in vertical alignment with the longitudinal axis of the slots formed between adjacent ends of said plates are studs 68. These studs support at their free ends blow boxes 69 each of which consists of a bed member 18 and a cap member II which latter is provided with a transversely extending passage 12 which opens at opposite ends into chambers 13 formed at opposite sides of the cap. As shown in Figs. 5 and 7 the upper side of the cap presents a horizontal face 14 and an inclined face 15 and the horizontal face is provided with a plurality of perforations 16 which communicate with the chambers 13 so that fluid admitted to said chamber under pressure may'escape in a vertical direction. Plugs 11 are inserted into the chambers 18 and by advancing or retracting them, the number of perforations 16 through which the fluid may escape may be varied and hence regulation of escaping fluid may be effected. The passage 12 communicates midway of its length with a bore 16 which extends vertically through the bed member 18 and communicates with a radial passage 19 formed in the stud 68 upon which the blow box is supported. This passage communicates with a bore extending axially of the stud 68, and leading into the bore 80 is a pipe 8| which is connected to a suitable source of fluid pressure supply (not shown).

Rotatably mounted in the bearings 82, carried by the bed plate 20 directly above each stud 68, is a shaft 83 which is formed near its outer end with a shoulder 84. A cap 85 is threaded on the outer end of the shaft 83 and cooperates with the shoulder 84 in holding the gage wheel 86 in place. A gear 81 is secured to the shaft 83 between the bearing 82 and the gage wheel 86. and meshes with a pinion 88 carried at one end of a sleeve 89 which is mounted for rotation on bearings 98 carried by the stud 68. A worm wheel 9| is carried by the sleeve 89 between the pinion 88 and the bed plate 29, and this worm wheel meshes with a, worm 92 which is secured to the shaft 46. Thus it will be seen that as the shaft 46 rotates, the gage wheels 66 will be driven.

The gage wheels 86 above referred to are provided with peripheral gaging slots 98, one wall of each of which is inclined as at 94 in order to facilitate the approach of the articles to be gaged toward the mouth of the gaging slots and into contact with the gaging points 95. While it is possible to employ a solid gage wheel having fixed gaging points, I have found it preferable to so construct the wheel that the gaging points may be changed in order to compensate for wear and hence preserve the accuracy of the gaging operation. One example of an adjustable gage wheel is illustrated in the drawings (Figs. 5 and 6) and consists of an intermediate gaging disk 96 which is clamped between gaging disks 9'! by means of clamping plates 98 one of which abuts the shoulder 84 of the shaft 83 while the other is engaged by the cap 85 above described. It will thus be seen that when the cap is tightened on the shaft 83, the clamping disks 98 will be firmly pressed against the gaging disks 9'! and lock them in place with relation to the intermediate gaging disk 96. Obviously by loosening the cap 85 the lateral pressure on the gaging disks may be relieved and by rotating the disks relative to each other, adjustment of their gaging points may be accomplished. Accuracy of this adjustment is obtained by introducing a solid member which has been accurately ground to size into one of the gaging slots and then rotating the intermediate disk 96 with relation to the end disks 91 whereupon the cap 85 is tightened and adjustment is thereby preserved. It will be noted that the side walls of the gaging slots 93 from the gaging points inwardly toward the centers of the gaging wheels 86 are parallel with radii radiating from the centers of the wheels so that in no instance are the side walls at the inner ends of the gaging slots, even when the adjustable gaging wheels are employed, any closer together than are the gaging points. This prevents articles which pass through the mouths of the gaging 75 slots from sticking in the slots and insures continuous, smooth and uninterrupted operation of the machine. In fact when the adjustable gaging wheels are employed and the intermediate disks are adjusted to advance the gaging points 95 toward the opposite walls of the-gaging slots, the gaging slots are in effect relieved behind the gaging points so that the inner ends of the slots are actually larger than their mouths.

In order to overcome sagging of the lowermost runs of the conveyor chains 56 and to maintain proper spacing of the chains from the tables 6| and 65 guide rails 99 are supported in vertically spaced relation to the tables BI and 65 on cross members I which are carried at the lower ends of the studs IOI. The upper ends of these studs extend through openings formed adjacent the free ends of brackets I02 which are attached to the bed plate 20. Vertical adjustment of the rails 99 is effected by turning nuts I03 which are threaded on the uppermost ends of the studs IOI as will be readily understood upon reference to Figs. 4 and 6.

Mounted for sliding movement transversely of the machine at spaced intervals in the bed plate 20 are supporting rods I04 which are locked in their various adjusted positions by means of set screws I05 carried by the bed plate 20. The rods I04 carry at their inner ends a longitudinally extending rail I06 to which is attached an angle bar I0I which serves as a guide to prevent endwise displacement of the articles being gaged.

Cooperating with the angle bar I0I, in preventing endwise displacement of the articles on the opposite side of the machine, is a Z-bar I08 one flange of which is attached to a longitudinally extending rail I09 which is provided at opposite ends with slotted flanges I I 0 for engagement with the castings 26 and 28 at opposite ends of the machine. Cap screws III extend through the slots in the flanges H0 and support the rail I09 in properly adjusted position on the machine.

In operation, the articles to be gaged, which in the present instance are tubes II2, are advanced toward the feeding end of the machine on a suitable conveyor II3 where they are engaged by the pick-up fingers carried by the carrier chains 54. Riding upwardly and toward the machine, the articles encounter the article supporting fingers 59 carried by the conveyor chains 56 and are thereby advanced toward the opposite end of the machine. Passing around the sprockets 51, the chains start on their return run and the fingers 59 are inverted so that from that point the articles are supported on the tables BI while they are advanced by the fingers 59 toward the gages. As the articles reach gaging position they pass over the perforations I5 of the first blow box 69 and are yieldingly forced upwardly toward the under sides of the flanges of the bars I0! and I08 by means of fluid pressure. Since the movements of the gage wheels 86 are synchronized with the movements of the conveyor chains 56 it will be seen that the instant that the tube II2 moves upwardly under the influence of the fluid pressure, one of the gage slots 93 has been brought into article re- Ceiving position (Fig. 5). If the article is of greater diameter than the distance between the gagingvpoint 95 and the opposite wall of the respective gage slot, its displacement by the fluid pressure will be prevented and the article will be held against its points of contact with the gage by the fluid pressure. As the wheel 85 revolves, the rejected article is brought into contact with the deflector 61 of the table 65 and is moved out of the gage wheel against the pressure of the fluid into a discharge passage II3. Passing through the passage II3 which is formed between the under side of the deflector 6! and the inclined face I5 of the blow box cap member II, the article falls into a suitable receptacle (not shown). If the article is of less diameter than the distance between the gaging point 95 and the opposite wall of the slot 93, it will pass upwardly into the slot as shown at the right of Fig. 5 so as to be carried by the wheel beyond the deflector 61 of the next adjacent table 65 and out of the zone of influence of the fluid pressure. After passing beyond the uppermost end of the deflector, the article is discharged by the fingers 59 and the effect of gravity which serve to move it from between the walls of the gaging slot 93 and cause it to travel along the upper surface of the table until the next gage is encountered at which time a similar gaging operation is repeated.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention above described, I have employed a rotating gage wheel which enables me to attain extremely high gaging and sorting speeds. Where the rapidity of the gaging and sorting operation is not of such great importance however, I may employ gaging devices such as are shown in Figs. 9 and 10.

In this embodiment of my invention I employ in general the same mechanism as that above described but instead of the shaft 83 running in bearings 82 and the accompanying driving gears and pinions, I attach to the bed plate 20' (Fig. 10) a stud H4 the free end of which is threaded to receive a cap II 5 which corresponds to the cap 85 previously described. A shoulder H6 is formed on the stud II4 which serves as an abutment for engaging one element of the gage to be more fully described. In the present embodiment of my invention I employ as one gage element the uppermost end of the deflector 81 (Fig. 9) and cooperating therewith is a second gage element which consists of a lug II! which is adjustably clamped to the stud II4 between the shoulder H6 and the cap II5. This lug is provided with a curved face II8 which terminates at one end in a gage point II 9 which cooperates with the end of the deflector 61' in preventing oversized articles from moving upwardly under the influence of the fluid pressure which is exerted as previously described. As shown the lug III is notched at I so that articles which pass between the gage point H9 and the deflector 61 may be' displaced and directed into channels other than that which receives the oversized articles.

In the modified form of my invention the operation is similar to that of the preferred form of the invention in that articles 2' are moved toward the gage by means of the fingers 59. Encountering the yielding pressure created by the emission of the fluid from the caps II of the blow boxes 69' which are supported on tubular studs 68 carried by the bed 20', the articles are yieldingly urged upwardly against the curved surface II8 of the lug III. The articles moving along this curved face will attempt under the influence of the yielding pressure to pass between the gage point H9 and the end of the deflector 61'. If the article is too large to pass through it will be moved along and deflected downwardly into the discharge passage II 3' which is formed between the under side of the deflector 61' and the inclined face I5 of the blow box II. Ar

ticles of lesser size will be deflected upwardly and moved out of the notch I20 above the end of the deflector 6'." and onto the next adjacent table 65'. This operation is repeated at the next gaging position and until the sorting of the articles is completed.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details, construction, and combination of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a sorting machine a gage having a downwardly opening gage slot which rejects articles of predetermined size and accepts articles of lesser size, means for moving articles past the gage slot, yielding means to urge the articles to enter the gage slot, and means cooperating with the article moving means for moving the rejected articles away from the gage against the urge of the yielding means.

2. The method of sorting fragile articles comprising advancing the articles along a given path, lifting the articles under moderate pneumatic pressure a distance depending on their size and gaging them while they are being so lifted.

3. The method of sorting fragile articles comprising advancing the articles along a given path, lifting the articles under moderate pneumatic pressure while they are passing through a restricted zone of such path, and gaging the articles while they are being so lifted.

4. The method of sorting fragile articles comprising advancing the articles along a given path, lifting the articles pneumatically a distance de pending on their size, gaging them while they are being so lifted, and separating the articles in accordance with the result of gaging.

5. The method of sorting fragile articles comprising advancing the articles along a given path, lifting the articles pneumatically a distance depending on their size, gaging them while they are being so lifted, and separating the articles in accordance with the result of gaging while their advance continues.

6. The method of sorting articles comprising continuously advancing the articles along a given path, yieldingly forcing the articles upwardly while continuing their advance, gaging the articles while they are being so forced. and separating the articles against the influence of such force.

'7. The method of sorting articles comprising continuously advancing the articles along a given path, yieldingly forcing the articles upwardly while continuing their advance, gaging and separating the articles against the influence of such force in accordance with the result of their gaging and while continuing their advance.

8. The method of sorting articles while continuously and positively advancing the articles, which includes yieldingly forcing the articles upwardly to the extent determined by their size to cause an acceptance or rejection of the articles according to size while they are under the influence of such force, and advancing both the accepted and rejected articles in differsf: paths while their positive advance is continued.

9. The method of sorting articles comprising continuously and positively advancing the articles along a given path, yieldingly forcing the articles upwardly during their advance to gage them while their advance continues, causing their acceptance or rejection according to size, and advancing both the accepted and rejected articles over different paths under the positive drive which caused their initial advance.

10. The method of sorting articles which comprises continuously advancing a plurality of articles past a gage moving in unison with the articles, presenting articles to the gage under yielding pressure, and separating the articles from the gage at a point further along the path of movement of the articles than the point of presentation, and moving the accepted articles and the rejected articles in separate paths after their separation from the gage.

11. The method of sorting articles comprising continuously advancing a plurality of articles along a given path, yieldingly forcing the articles upwardly during their advance, gaging the articles to cause them to be deflected to extents determined by their respective sizes to cause acceptance or rejection of the articles according to size, and advancing both the accepted and rejected articles from the point of deflection while they are being so advanced and under the influence of such force.

DAVID E. GRAY. 

